Walk forward, into the world
by Ainzfern
16
Glowing gently, high above the crystalline lights of Eos, the pale golden orbs of Amoi's twin moons seemed to be almost gazing down upon the people of Midas. Across the city, those that worked within the daylight hours had already wended their weary way home, making room in the streets and by-ways for those who preferred the brightness of neon to the light of the sun.
In the centre of the city, rising high above the noise and clamor of the night-time throng, stood Eos Tower; a graceful glass and silver beacon of luxury and design. At its very pinnacle, painted by the shadows of the night and wrapped in silence, was Iason Mink's penthouse, the ultimate residence of the wealthy Elite. Tonight, in deference to the mild night, the balcony door stood open allowing the soft breeze, cool but gentle, to whisper its way through the darkened main room, rustling the leaves of lush indoor plants and brushing softly over the fine fabrics of deep plush furniture.
In a small room to the extreme rear of the penthouse Dane sat, his legs curled underneath him, in the armchair by the window. Dressed for bed and wrapped warmly in a thick soft robe, he read quietly, avidly, gnawing gently at a thumbnail as he lost himself within the plot, and indeed the world, held between the pages of his book. As he turned to the next page, he glanced up briefly, toward the main area of the penthouse, making a mental note to ensure that he closed the balcony doors and turned off all the night lights before he went to sleep.
And in the master bedroom of the penthouse, in the centre of the vast satin covered bed, Riki lay on his back, his sleekly muscled legs twined tightly around Iason's body, his arms clutching at broad shoulders as he sighed against the warmth of Iason's neck and closed his eyes. With his body singing and his heart still feeling somehow bruised by the events of the day, he relaxed almost passively into Iason's arms, letting the older man make love to him. Normally, Riki would be the first to admit that he was usually a joyfully active participant in his and Iason's intimacy, but for tonight... for tonight he needed this. To be gathered up, and held close, and taken care of.
"Yes...Yes..." His softly moaned words broke on a deep groan of pleasure as Iason moved inside him, taking and giving with equal intensity. He felt soft lips travel the length of one sweat dampened shoulder, glide up the side of his neck, before descending over his mouth to steal his breath with a searching needy kiss. As he sank his hands into the satin-soft mane of Iason's hair, Riki lifted his knees up further, allowing Iason to increase the depth of his thrusts, to bring them both closer to the sweet edge of fulfillment.
He arched as the marvelous feeling of Iason's firm stomach pressing and rubbing across the swollen length of his cock sent a sullen throb of pleasure bursting though his lower belly. He cried out, the sound muffled once more as Iason kissed him deeply, that hot wet tongue dipping into Riki's mouth to stroke thrillingly along his own. He felt the pressure beginning to build in his loins, the heat and tension rising through his entire body as his flesh committed itself inexorably to orgasm. He felt Iason grip him hard, holding him tightly as he shuddered and came with an almost pained shout of mindless pleasure. As Riki's body surged and pulsed, filling the space between their bellies with the wet slick heat of his release, Iason continued to move deep and hard inside him, straining towards his own peak.
He heard Iason's breath hitch sharply, felt the deep tremors running through the powerful torso that pinned him down. He gripped the hair at the base of Iason's head, tugging hard until Iason lifted his face, looking at Riki with rapturous pale eyes. Panting hard, keeping his eyes fixed on Iason, Riki watched as his Blondie began to come; his rich mouth falling helplessly open as a deep sigh escaped from his chest, the exquisite expressions of pleasure and completion that crossed his perfect face sending a slow wave of renewed desire rolling through Riki's body.
As he finished, spending himself deep inside Riki's flesh with the softest of moans, Iason lunged forward once more, claiming Riki's lips with his own, kissing him with open-mouthed demanding passion. His warm hands roamed across every inch of Riki's skin that they could reach, stroking and touching; possessive and giving, frantic and gentle all at once.
And then there was nothing but the warmth and close silence of the aftermath. Closing his eyes once more Riki breathed deeply, waiting as his heartbeat began to slow and Iason grew somehow heavier as he, too, relaxed into the moment.
Propping himself up on his forearms, Iason gently withdrew and rolled to one side, pulling Riki close to him, holding him against the warmth of his body as he looked down into Riki's sated face. For a long moment, Iason said nothing, his expression deeply thoughtful and almost sad. Then, at length, he sighed; lifting one hand to gently push back a few strands of sweat soaked hair from Riki's brow.
"How do you feel?" he asked, moving his hand to press his palm to Riki's chest, right over his heart. "In here?"
Wearily, Riki smiled at him. "Better," he replied.
"I'm glad to hear that," Iason relaxed slightly. "It was a difficult day for you. Many memories were faced which I personally would have preferred you never had to think about again."
Lifting one shoulder briefly, Riki ran his fingers over the back of the hand that was resting on his chest. "I guess a part of me kinda hoped I'd never have to think about it again, either. But, at the same time," Riki bit his lower lip pensively, "what happened to me, to us... it's all a part of what made us what we are now, y'know?"
"I believe you're right." Iason nodded slowly, his eyes filled with thought. "Perhaps it was something designed by destiny."
"A test?"
Iason smiled gently. "Isn't all of life a test, Riki? Really?"
"I suppose so," Riki paused a moment, the inevitable questions rising up in him. They were questions that he had been content enough to put aside in the weeks gone past, but they had never really left his mind. And now, considering everything that had occurred over this day, he honestly could no longer think of a reason to hold them back. "We never really talk about it, do we?" he asked softly, his eyes growing slightly troubled. "I mean, not just about what happened at Dana Bahn, but before... between you and me."
Iason grew very still, considering the question. "Are there really things that should be said about that, Riki?" he replied eventually, his voice soft and strangely filled with sorrow. "They were dark days. For both of us."
Riki nodded. "I didn't really understand just how much you were risking back then in continuing to keep me." Riki's heart constricted for a moment when he saw the whisper of ancient pain ghost across Iason's face, "I mean, Katze tried to tell me," he continued, "But I just figured... you were the Big Guy, y'know? Head of the Syndicate... who the hell could've touched you?"
"Who indeed..."
"Iason, what happened? Really?" Riki sat up slowly, turning to look levelly into Iason's eyes. "In the months between your recovery and finding out that I was alive... what happened to change you so much? I mean, you're still you, don't get me wrong. You're still so much the man that you were and yet you're different on some kind of deeper level. It's like," Riki frowned, struggling with it, "you haven't changed so much, but what you believe in has."
Iason sighed. "That is probably the most accurate description."
Leaning forward slightly Riki wet his lips, his dark eyes intent on Iason's face. "That's a pretty profound transition to make, Iason," he murmured.
"I know."
"So... How?" Riki shrugged. "How did it happen?"
"I suppose it was a combination of factors," Iason answered in his deep velvet voice. "Weeks of reflection and self-assessment as Jupiter struggled to understand her own feelings by examining mine."
Riki felt his eyes widen slightly.
Obviously seeing the look, Iason smiled slightly. "There was the fact that I truly believed I had lost you at Dana Bahn... and the pain, which I simply could not deny, it caused me." Iason paused briefly, a strange expression crossing his face. "And then, of course, there was the fact that Jupiter finally decided to allow me to love you."
Riki grew very still, his breath stopping in his chest and his heart jolting almost painfully. The words... If he was honest with himself, Riki could confess that he'd thought a lot about Iason's real feelings towards him since returning to Eos this time. He'd felt that the Blondie Elite had come to love him. He'd hoped that was the case. There were some days, and indeed many nights, where he'd almost believed he was sure, but...
He'd never imagined just how good it would feel to hear the words.
"You love me?" Riki asked him, his voice soft and his eyes very wide.
"I find it so strange to think that, not so long ago, Riki, I would have told you that question held no meaning for me... But now?" Iason nodded slowly, deliberately, his eyes calm and sure and his beautiful face serene, "Yes. I love you very much." One side of his rich mouth quirked wryly. "I think, in truth, a part of me always did... from the very first moment I saw you."
Riki felt a great lump form up in his throat. "Really?"
"Yes."
"Well," Riki reached out to touch Iason's face with gentle fingertips, "that's a hell of a piece of luck for me, Iason, because I love you, too."
Still smiling at him, Iason simply stroked his fingers down the soft skin of Riki's neck, his pale eyes saying, in silence, everything that needed to be said.
Nodding once more, feeling exhilarated and yet somehow suddenly exhausted beyond words, Riki lay down once more, reaching up to pull Iason down beside him. "You know what I wish?" he asked, muffling a yawn as Iason reached across him to extinguish the bed-side lamp.
"What?" Iason murmured as he settled back down, almost absently arranging Riki so that he could spoon up against his smooth back.
"I wish we'd figured this shit out four years ago."
The last thing Riki heard as he drifted towards repose was the deep soft sound of Iason's gentle chuckle. "So do I, Riki," Iason's whisper faded gently away as sleep quickly claimed all of his attention, "So do I."
17
"So, tell me," Katze asked. "What was so urgent that I had to take yet another half-day away from my own business affairs to help you?"
They were sitting in the dealer's car outside of one of the many fabrication plants that he held an interest in. Shifting in the passenger seat beside him, Riki turned to him, smirking slightly. "The fact that you like me?"
Katze returned his smirk. "Try again."
"Look," Riki suddenly grew serious. "I know that this plant is one of your financial interests."
"Of course you do," Katze dipped into his pocket, extracting his cigarettes and lighting one up with evident pleasure, "I was your boss here for a time, right?"
"Yeah." Riki glanced out the car window at the hulking grey mass of building beside them. "And I still wonder about that."
"Oh?"
"Sure." Riki's gaze was very direct as he met Katze's eyes, "I mean, why would you – the man in the Ceres black market – have been sitting in as plant manager in this place?"
"Would you accept that it was the fact that I liked you?"
Riki snorted softly. "Try again."
"All right," Katze nodded, almost seeming to brace himself before answering. "It was because Iason asked me to keep an eye on you."
Riki spent some moments after Katze's reply just staring down at his hands. "I see," he murmured eventually.
Katze's warm hand closed over his shoulder, gripping firmly. "Hey. It's old soup, man. Don't chew on it, okay?"
"I know." Riki lifted his face, setting his chin firmly. "So... the reason we're here, is that I need a liaison for the ex-Pets." He smiled sadly, "I might have been a Pet for a while, but I wasn't born one, I wasn't made to be one. They won't trust me, because they have no reason to trust anyone who isn't one of them. All they've ever learned since being abandoned by their owners is that the citizens of Midas are only capable of treating them like dirt. And, once we start bringing them in, they're gonna need someone that they can trust to tell them that everything is going to be okay. Only another Pet will be able to do that. And I need you here, because I don't want any hassles. I need you here because the plant manager will know you. Because it's your face that is going to open the door for me."
Katze considered it for a moment, blowing a stream of smoke at the windscreen of the car. "Okay," he nodded at Riki. "Okay, I can accept that there's merit in that."
"Good."
"So," Katze looked at him interestedly, "exactly which ex-Pet is on your mind?"
Riki took a deep breath. "Enif."
"You're shitting me."
"I'm serious."
Katze stared doubtfully at him. "Are you sure you want him, Riki?"
"Yeah. Maybe," Riki shrugged sharply, "I'll have to talk to him first to be sure."
"Why? Why him?"
"Mainly because of the last time that I saw him," Riki answered, his expression growing pensive.
Katze snorted softly. "The last time we saw him, if I recall, he was getting the crap beat out of him."
"But that's just it, Katze," Riki shifted in his seat, looking into Katze's eyes, "He was rebelling. Showing anger, causing trouble." He grinned suddenly. "That takes guts, man. That takes spirit."
Katze's grin slowly bloomed to match Riki's. "I get you."
"So, if he's still shaking 'em up in there, it means that they haven't broken him." Riki spread his hands in a reasoning gesture. "As I said, I need someone to smooth the transition for the ex-Pets. Someone who is obviously one of them, but who is still strong enough to help them understand and, maybe, not be so frightened." His face grew very somber as held the red-head's gaze. "And they are going to be frightened, Katze."
"All right," Katze flicked his cigarette out the window and opened the driver's side door. "You've convinced me. Let's do this thing."
Grinning again, Riki climbed out of the car and fell into step behind the ex-Furniture as Katze strode, head high and expression slightly superior, the appropriate persona already falling seamlessly into place, towards the hulking fabrication plant looming up in front of them.
It was the plant manager, Karden Maxx, who led them down to the fabrication levels. A huge man with gunmetal gray hair and enormous calloused hands, he kept shooting puzzled looks in Riki's direction as if he recognized him but couldn't quite place him, even after Katze had firmly, even somewhat tersely, introduced Riki as one of his own black market associates.
"Well, yeah, the one you want to talk to is here, all right," he told them, leading them toward the service lift that would take them to the lower levels of the plant. "But, fuck if I know what good he's gonna do ya'." Maxx grunted a disgusted sound in the back of his throat, "Fuckin' Pets... too dumb to take directions worth a damn and that one's the worst."
"Oh?" Keeping his voice mildly interested; taking a silent cue from Katze's almost haughtily distant expression, Riki maintained a cool and calm outward appearance, even though Maxx's entire tone, his entire attitude, grated along Riki's nerves like a wire brush. It was more than just offense he felt. It was deeper than that, on a fundamental level.
It so easily could have been him. Riki would never forget that.
It so easily could have been him...
"Oh hell, yeah," Maxx continued obliviously. "Fuckin' dumb turd just keeps causing trouble. I'll tell ya', if I was actually payin' him, I'd have fired his ass by now." He shrugged, shaking his head. "And it doesn't seem to matter how many times my Foreman and his crew kick the shit outta him, he just doesn't learn."
Riki pressed his lips together tightly.
"What kind of trouble are you talking about here, Karden?" Katze asked him.
"Hah! Just about anything you can name," Maxx snorted grossly, "I mean... well, even for a dumbass his work's not bad," he allowed grudgingly. "When the fucker works, that is. But he's got a mighty big chip on his shoulder. Keeps trying to take off all the time. Gets out sometimes, too." He vented a vicious little chuckle. "Last time, it took nearly four days for him to drag his sorry ass back here, all covered in bruises and God knows what else. I kept telling him – ain't a soul out there gives a shit about him. Ain't nowhere for him to go to." He shook his head again, almost sadly. "And y'know – even after I let him back in, got him cleaned up, he still gives attitude. And... get this one... he sees himself as a little savior for his Pet buddies on the floor. Sticks his nose in practically every time one of 'em fucks up, and the Foreman ends up giving him a seein' to, instead."
Behind the man's stiff and offended back, Riki met Katze's eyes, smiling slightly as the ex-Furniture nodded and winked at him.
So, Enif had become the kind of man who kept taking the heat for his friends? Riki faced forward again as the lift door opened onto their destination.
Sounded like Enif was exactly what he was looking for.
"So," Maxx stepped out of the lift and turned to face Riki and Katze, "D'you want to have a word with the Foreman first?"
"No," Riki said firmly, his face hardening up like stone. "We only need to speak with Enif at this point."
Frowning, his expression a peculiar mix of curiosity and unease, the big man tilted his head. "What the hell did he do, anyway?" he asked softly. "Must've been somethin' pretty damn bad to get you two fellas down here after him." He nodded at Katze, "Especially you."
Looking at him, Riki composed his face into a serious, even somber, expression. "Mr. Maxx," he said gravely, "I am not at liberty to discuss that with you. But what I can tell you is that, within the next two days, the private security forces of the Tanagura Syndicate leader, Iason Mink, will be arriving here to take Enif, and any other ex-Pets that you have, into immediate custody. I would advise you, in the strongest possible terms, not to hinder them in that action."
Maxx stared narrowly at Riki for a moment, almost as if he was trying to gauge if the young man had meant what he had just said. Apparently deciding that he did, he whistled softly and turned his suddenly wide eyes towards Katze. "He serious about that, Katze?"
Utterly poker-faced, Katze nodded grimly. "Every word, Karden," he answered with an ominous tone to his voice. "Every single word."
"Shit," Maxx's face paled slightly as he looked back at Riki. "So you, uh... you're on the Elite's payroll, huh?" His voice had suddenly taken on an undeniably diffident and respectful note at the thought that he was obviously dealing with a man who 'facilitated' solutions for the Elites.
Riki simply continued to stare levelly at him in silence.
"Right," Maxx cleared his throat, shifting his feet awkwardly. "Right. Well... he's right down there." He pointed down between the rows of workers laboring at various workstations towards a young man operating a hydraulic press near the far wall of the plant floor.
A young man Riki recognized, even at this distance.
"So he is," he murmured, absently noting that Maxx looked even more uncomfortable.
"We won't actually need your help from this point, Karden," Katze told the sweating plant manager firmly. "We'll take it from here."
Riki had to struggle not to snicker in amusement as the hulking man literally fled back into the lift.
Turning back to face the workers once more, Riki drew in a deep breath and stepped forward, mentally bracing himself to meet a moment from his past and perhaps, just perhaps, rewrite it by offering the chance of a future.
18
Crossing the workroom floor with Katze right beside him, Riki pointedly ignored the curious looks that were cast their way as they approached Enif, who was working steadily at his post with his back to them. As they neared him, Riki cleared his throat, catching the ex-Pet's attention.
Turning, Enif lifted his face to look at them, his eyes flat with immediate suspicion.
"Enif?" Riki couldn't help staring at how much the man had changed since his cosseted days in Eos. Back when Riki had seen him last, being dragged off by the factory guards, he really hadn't had much of an opportunity to appraise him but now, standing right in front of him, Riki couldn't help but draw the obvious comparisons.
He was slightly taller, much broader through the shoulders. His face was still beautiful, that could not be denied, but it had lost its youthful softness, the luminous perfection that a young Pet ought to have. Riki could also see clearly the impact that his life as a virtual slave in the factories of Midas had left upon him. He now bore a heavy scar just above his left eyebrow; and at some point, Riki noted, his nose had obviously been broken. Most likely that had occurred during one Enif's 'sessions' with the Foreman.
Riki drew in a breath to speak again, when Enif beat him to it.
"I know you," the ex-Pet said in a deep rich voice. A mature man's voice. "How do I know you?"
"Well," Riki's mouth quirked into an odd little smile, "...about four years ago, you tripped me over on the viewing stage at a Pet Party."
Enif's eyes widened in sudden dreadful recognition. "Iason Mink's mongrel," he murmured.
Riki nodded, strangely feeling no particular offence at Enif's choice of words. "Yeah. That was me."
Enif's expression froze, giving away nothing as he glanced back and forth between Riki and Katze for a long moment. Then, with a deep sigh, his shoulders drooped wearily and a dull look of acceptance crossed his face. "You know something?" Enif stripped off the safety gloves he'd been wearing and shoved them into the pocket of his rather shapeless overalls. "Back then..? I really thought that I was better than you. I really did."
Riki remained silent as Enif's eyes moved over him slowly, inspecting the neat cut of his clothing, his expensive shoes, his general good health and cleanliness.
Enif vented a bitter little chuckle as he met Riki's gaze once more. "Well, it looks like the joke's on me, huh? Again." He tilted his head a little, crossing his arms over his chest. "So, I'm guessing that Maxx or Cain sent you down here, right?" His mouth twisted into a tiny sneer as he spoke those two names.
"Cain?" Katze questioned, frowning slightly.
"The Foreman," Enif clarified, his eyes narrowing. "I mean, this sure feels like another one of his little mind-games. But what I don't get is why. I've been behaving myself pretty good, lately." His full lips thinned into a grim line. "Cain actually took his belt to me the last time... Honestly, I still hurt too much to have caused any trouble."
Riki shared a brief look with Katze, his heart actually aching in empathy as he realized that Enif was interpreting their presence as some kind of cruelty, some manner of punishment. Plus, he couldn't deny that he was also getting worried. Quite frankly, the bleak look in Enif's eyes was not what he'd been hoping to see. It was evident to him now that while Enif might have been fighting back for some time, his reserves had nearly run out. He was just about beaten.
They needed to get this man out of here... and fast.
"Enif, Maxx and Cain don't have anything to do with why we're here." Riki glanced quickly over his shoulder. "Look, is there somewhere we can talk out of earshot of the rest of these guys?"
Enif nodded, the faintest spark of curiosity entering his eyes. "Well, there's the citizen's staff lounge, over there," he pointed to an open door facing into a small room just some way along the rear wall of the workshop floor, "but we, I mean ex-Pet's, aren't supposed to use it."
"Fuck that," Katze's unusually sharp mutter answered Enif's comment. "It'll do. Let's go."
Nodding, Enif led them into the room, waiting while Riki and Katze seated themselves at one of the tables before cautiously lowering himself into a chair on the opposite side from them. "So..." Enif wet his lips and looked nervously at them. "What are you really wanting from me?"
Smiling slightly, sadly, Riki leant forward and began to talk. Slowly, and making frequent pauses to ensure Enif was keeping up, he explained the whole thing. From the very first idea that he'd had about safe-houses to Chey Neeson's colonization project. He talked about the opportunity that was being made available, the chance to live a life free of fear and cruelty, to stand as a counted and valued part of a community. To own a future. To be kept by no-one... And he talked about the part that he wanted Enif to play in the whole thing.
"...Technically," Riki concluded, "you'll be employed by Chey Neeson and you'll have a statutory citizenship under the federation government so that you can travel regularly to Hepstra without needing to get papers every time, but to keep it simple – at least for now – you'll actually be drawing your wages from me. Eventually that'll change. Over the long-term, it will be your job to continue sourcing ex-Pets who are interested in relocating to Hepstra to cover attrition and expansion. I'll want regular reports, of course, but once I get you settled in and you learn what needs to be done, you'll be operating solo, calling the shots." Even as he spoke, Riki was watching Enif's face, looking for any sign that might indicate how he felt about the offer. "I'll arrange an apartment for you, close to the Midas spaceport. It's nothing fancy, but it's comfortable and clean. Plus, it'll be well within your budget."
Enif continued to stare at him in silence.
"Well?" Riki asked him gently, "What do you think?"
"You want to employ me?" Enif replied in an almost distant manner.
"Yes."
"You want to pay me... to help others like me get the hell away from Amoi?"
"Yes," Riki peered worriedly at him, concerned by the odd note in his voice and wondering once again whether he perhaps was rash in his judgement.
"No more beatings, Enif," Katze added softly, his face unusually pale. "No more laboring until you drop, or trying to snatch sleep in the damp basement of this plant. Just fair work for fair wages. Just like any other citizen."
Enif's expression did not so much as alter a fraction. His body did not move, nor did his breathing change in any way. But as he sat there staring at Riki, his eyes began to fill and, when he blinked them, two great tears fell and streaked down his impassive face.
"When can I start?" he whispered hoarsely.
Reaching out and clasping his arm, Riki squeezed gently. "Now."
"There's something that I've been meaning to talk to you about, Katze," Riki said thoughtfully as Katze drove them back towards Eos.
"Yeah?" Katze continued to maintain focus on the road as he signaled a turn through the intersection that lead to the Elite residential area. "What's that?"
Riki looked out the window, gathering his thoughts, wondering just how to put them into words. "It's just... the thing is, man, you haven't said a word to me, or to Iason – as far as I know, about how pulling all the ex-Pets out of the factories and fabrication plants is going to affect your business. I mean surely there's gonna to be some loss of revenue there, having to replace them with fully paid workers instead."
Katze grunted a little 'neither here nor there' sort of sound. "The bulk of the ex-Pets aren't actually in my factories, Riki, as you know." Katze smoothly changed lanes in preparation for entering Eos. "I'm going to lose, maybe, one or two hundred unpaid workers across the board, out of a total workforce of thousands. Plus, the goods that the factories siphon off into Ceres black market make them extremely profitable. I can easily absorb the loss. Besides," Katze flashed a quick grin at him, "you're compensating me. Fairly generously, I have to say, even if I will have to wait a year to see any of the money."
Riki huffed a soft chuckle. "You know where I live. It's not like you're gonna to get stiffed."
"I have no doubts." Katze's next sideways glance held an undeniable shade of respect. "I never did tell you what a smart move it was you made, there – negotiating with Chey Neeson for a quarter percent of the gross profit margin rather than a fixed contractual finder's fee. That's the kind of trailing commission that just keeps on giving."
Riki grinned at him. "Actually, that was Iason's idea. And, I had to admit it did make sense. This whole deal is going to be a long term set-up." Riki shifted in his seat slightly, getting more comfortable. "This initial group of workers is just the start. As the colony establishes itself and begins to expand, there's gonna be more spaces to fill."
"So you got Neeson to add an annexure to the contract to hold a certain number of places for your ex-Pets or Ceres residents, then?"
"I did."
"Smart boy," Katze murmured approvingly. "Good business."
"So... it's just business, Katze?" Looking down at his hands for a moment, Riki sighed, a wave of something close to sorrow washing through his gut, "The fact that I'm paying you off is all you care about?"
Peripherally, he saw Katze frown slightly as the soaring structure of Eos Tower loomed up ahead of them. "Why do you ask?"
"It's just that, back in the fabrication plant," Riki shrugged, "you looked, for a moment, like you actually felt bad for the guy. I just wondered, y'know... if maybe there was an altruistic streak in you after all."
Katze was silent for a long moment as he pulled his car into the parking bay below Eos Tower and cut the engine. "The truth, Riki?" he asked finally, turning to look into Riki's eyes.
"Sure."
"I never used to give a shit about 'em." Katze lifted one shoulder briefly. "Didn't even see them most of the time. They weren't my concern... not even something that I gave a thought to. They were just another commodity."
Riki blinked, startled by the blunt reply.
"But," Katze sighed and sat back in the driver's seat, "you made them visible to me, Riki. Maybe it was because you were a Pet for a time, or maybe it's because..." Katze heaved a great sigh and shook his head. "Fuck if I know, really. All I know is that you pulled them out into my line of sight somehow, and now... now I can't just look past them anymore."
"Well," Riki murmured as he opened his door. "Let's just hope you're not the only one that happens to."
Climbing out of the car, Katze looked solemnly at him from across the bonnet. "Change takes time, Riki. You'll need to remember that going forward, okay?"
Riki nodded at him. "Oh, I know. And I will." He grinned suddenly. "As for taking time? Hell, no problem. Time is something I've got now."
Walk forward... – chapters 13-15 << >> Walk forward... – chapter 19